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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: shower · face · mate · lash · key · board · court · club

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mate — a friend
  5. shower — rain
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. shower — to wash
  9. key — the most important part
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. board — a committee
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. key — in music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. board — to get on
  17. club — for dancing
  18. key — for a lock
  19. club — for golf
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. mate — to breed
  24. club — a group

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