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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. kid — child
  8. charge — a price
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. land — to come down
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. charge — electricity
  16. shower — rain
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. vault — a safe
  20. land — ground
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. land — a country

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