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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. shower — rain
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kick — in football
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. hand — help
  8. shower — to wash
  9. snap — to click
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fall — the season
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bear — the animal

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