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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 · lean · bat · current · row · board · ball · temple

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. row — a line
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. board — a committee
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ball — a dance
  11. board — to get on
  12. row — to paddle
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lean — to bend
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. bat — the animal
  22. current — of water
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. board — a flat piece

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