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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. cap — of ice
  3. firm — steady
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. firm — decided
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rash — hasty
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. band — a music group
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chest — of your body
  19. firm — a company
  20. chest — a box
  21. shower — rain
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  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