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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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 — to wash
  2. spell — magic
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spell — a short time
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — letters
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chip — for betting
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rule — a law
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rule — government
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. dip — to sink
  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