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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rash — hasty
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rock — music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. swing — in golf
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. swing — to play on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. swing — music
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rock — a stone
  20. toast — bread
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. shower — rain
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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