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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. swing — music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cap — a hat
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — of ice
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. spring — a coil
  15. shower — rain
  16. band — a ring
  17. spring — the season
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chip — to eat
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. band — a music group
  24. chip — for betting

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