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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kick — in football
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stand — to bear
  20. perch — the fish
  21. shower — rain
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. perch — for a bird

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