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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. toast — bread
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lean — to bend
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. squash — to crush
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. shower — to wash
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — rain
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. scale — size or range
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lean — thin
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. scale — in music

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