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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. scale — in music
  3. kick — in football
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hand — help
  11. mate — a friend
  12. shower — rain
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rash — a series

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