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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
468
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 · arm · cold · mouse · rule · can · board · pop

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cold — an illness
  3. can — a tin
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pop — soda
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. can — a tin
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. board — a committee
  18. rule — government
  19. pop — music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. shower — rain

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