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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 116 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rash — hasty
  8. net — after costs
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. shower — rain
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. shower — to wash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cold — an illness

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