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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. content — the amount
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. shower — to wash
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. content — happy
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. shower — rain
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. field — for sport

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