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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. shower — rain
  3. rock — music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rock — to move gently

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