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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. spell — magic
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. key — the most important part
  13. shower — rain
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. key — in music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bark — to shout
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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