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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rash — a series
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. key — for a lock
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. shower — to wash
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rash — hasty
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. key — the most important part
  21. shower — rain
  22. key — in music
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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