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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. band — a ring
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. shower — rain
  7. deal — to handle
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. root — of a word
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. root — the cause
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — completely
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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