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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — rain
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lie — an untruth

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