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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. suit — in cards
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. shower — rain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. suit — clothes
  9. kick — in football
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. last — to go on
  17. shower — to wash
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — finally
  21. deal — to handle
  22. suit — to fit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bark — to shout

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