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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 116 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. row — a line
  3. shower — rain
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rock — music
  9. fall — the season
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rock — a stone
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rock — to move gently

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