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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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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: saw · lash · nail · shower · dip · board · court · bat

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. board — to get on
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. shower — rain
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. saw — the tool
  10. court — of law
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. shower — to wash
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. court — for sport
  21. board — a committee
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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