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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kick — in football
  4. shower — rain
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bat — the animal
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. shower — to wash
  11. race — a contest
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. race — humankind
  14. fork — in a road
  15. suit — clothes
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. roll — a list
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. race — the arms race
  23. suit — in cards
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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