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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rash — hasty
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cap — of ice
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cap — a hat
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. shower — rain
  23. rash — a series
  24. game — a match

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