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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: deal · board · rock · shower · cold · sharp · stick · wake

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rock — a stone
  6. shower — rain
  7. board — to get on
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cold — not warm
  10. board — a committee
  11. rock — music
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. sharp — clever
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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