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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. shower — rain
  7. fine — all right
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stock — goods
  10. mug — a face
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mug — to rob
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mug — a cup
  17. clip — for paper
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. clip — a video
  24. stock — a soup base

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