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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. march — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. march — the month
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. shower — rain
  12. fine — all right
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. net — after costs
  16. fine — high quality
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stem — to come from
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — the month
  24. shower — to wash

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