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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spell — letters
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. net — for catching
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rock — a stone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. spell — magic
  16. wake — a trail
  17. net — in sport
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. net — after costs
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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