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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. kick — in football
  12. shower — rain
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. march — the month
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. march — the month
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. march — 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