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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. shower — rain
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chest — a box
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — to wash
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. track — a song
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. sharp — with an edge

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