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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. tube — the underground
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kick — in football
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chip — to eat
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. tube — a container
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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