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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — rain
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. vault — a safe
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a match
  12. kid — to tease
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kid — child
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. date — the fruit
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. date — on the calendar

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