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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: chair · game · temple · charge · plane · shower · board · march

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. shower — rain
  4. march — the month
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. board — to get on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. charge — electricity
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — in control
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. charge — a price
  18. plane — a tool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. march — music
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. board — a committee
  23. chair — a professorship
  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