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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: suit · field · content · ball · shower · trunk · board · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. shower — rain
  3. suit — clothes
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ball — a great time
  6. content — happy
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. board — to get on
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. board — a committee
  16. rock — music
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rock — a stone
  20. field — for sport
  21. content — the amount
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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