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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fork — in a road
  3. wound — an injury
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bore — to tire
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. track — a path
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — in football
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bore — to drill
  21. track — a song
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cell — a phone

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