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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. rule — government
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. shower — rain
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — a path
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. track — a song
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. swing — music
  23. track — to keep track
  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