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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · suit · board · bat · dip · mate · chip · date

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bat — the animal
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mate — a partner
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. board — to get on
  10. suit — clothes
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mate — a friend
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chip — for betting
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. suit — in cards
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. suit — to fit
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com