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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. swing — to play on
  4. present — there
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bank — of a river
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bank — for money
  9. last — final
  10. shower — to wash
  11. last — to go on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. shower — rain
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. swing — music
  20. present — the time now
  21. cold — an illness
  22. last — finally
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. present — a gift

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