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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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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fine — all right
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. squash — the sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bound — obliged
  24. shower — rain

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