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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rash — a series
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. object — a thing
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rash — hasty
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bound — tied together
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. press — to push
  17. bound — certain
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rush — to hurry
  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