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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lean — thin
  4. rash — a series
  5. march — the month
  6. hand — in cards
  7. march — music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — help
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. swing — to play on
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. lean — to bend
  14. swing — music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. march — the month
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. shower — rain
  20. swing — in golf
  21. shower — to wash
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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