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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — rain
  5. pop — soda
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. key — for a lock
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pop — to visit
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — in music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pop — music
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bowl — a dish

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