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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: squash · fine · bear · shower · board · mate · cap · lie

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fine — all right
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. board — to get on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bear — the animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. bear — the animal
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mate — a partner
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cap — a hat
  23. board — a committee
  24. cap — a lid

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