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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pop — music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. march — the month
  11. pop — soda
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. shower — rain
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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