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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. race — a contest
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. shower — rain
  18. race — humankind
  19. ball — a dance
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. ball — a great time
  22. shower — to wash
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — to turn a key

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