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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rock · board · pitcher · last · mate · spell · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. board — to get on
  3. last — to go on
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. board — a committee
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mate — to breed
  10. shower — rain
  11. object — a thing
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — a friend
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. object — to protest
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — a stone
  24. last — final

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