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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. shower — rain
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bank — for money
  6. kick — in football
  7. bank — of a river
  8. last — final
  9. rock — music
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — for sport
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rock — a stone
  22. perch — the fish
  23. shower — to wash
  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