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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 · bark · season · suit · game · race · cell · board

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. race — humankind
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cell — a phone
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. suit — in cards
  9. game — a match
  10. shower — rain
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. season — of the year
  13. race — a contest
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. race — the arms race
  16. board — a committee
  17. shower — to wash
  18. season — in sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cell — in biology
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. game — wild animals
  23. board — to get on
  24. bark — to shout

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