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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — for pool
  4. face — part of the head
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cue — a signal
  7. shower — rain
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — to confront
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a document
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — final
  21. perch — the fish
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cue — a hint
  24. face — to point toward

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