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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 116 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. drill — army training
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. drill — the tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. drill — a practice
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fine — all right
  18. calf — of the leg

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