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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. shower — rain
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cold — not warm
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. land — a country
  12. shower — to wash
  13. land — ground
  14. firm — steady
  15. fall — the season
  16. rush — hurry
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. land — to come down
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. firm — decided

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