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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. face — to point toward
  12. net — for catching
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. drill — army training
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lean — thin
  18. shower — rain
  19. lean — to bend
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. net — after costs
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. kick — in football
  24. net — in sport

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