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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: calf · board · shower · rule · fork · lash · file · hand

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. file — a document
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. board — a committee
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. board — to get on
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. hand — in cards
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. file — a tool
  16. hand — help
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rule — a law
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fork — in a road
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rule — government

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