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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. shower — rain
  3. tear — to rip
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hand — in cards
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — help
  9. rest — a break
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — to wash
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. foot — a measure
  23. tear — from crying
  24. foot — part of the body

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