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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cell — a phone
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rest — what's left
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ball — a great time
  11. kick — in football
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rest — a break
  16. cell — in biology
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rest — what's left

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