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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. field — for sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. bear — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. field — farmland
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — a subject

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