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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 116 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 · board · dip · bat · deal · rock · court · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. dip — to sink
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bat — the animal
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rock — a stone
  8. deal — to handle
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. court — for sport
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. snap — to click
  20. shower — rain
  21. rock — music
  22. court — of law
  23. board — to get on
  24. court — of a king

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