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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. saw — the tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. plane — a tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lean — thin
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. toast — bread
  18. rush — hurry
  19. date — the fruit
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. shower — rain
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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