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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rock — music
  9. shower — rain
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mug — a cup
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mug — to rob
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mate — to breed
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mug — a face
  24. stand — on your feet

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