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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. shower — to wash
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — bread
  16. shower — rain
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. snap — to click
  19. pound — a weight
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pound — for dogs
  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