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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. field — a subject
  6. shower — to wash
  7. firm — a company
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. firm — decided
  13. bass — low music
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. firm — steady
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chip — for betting
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. field — farmland
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. 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