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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cold — an illness
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. can — a tin
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. cold — not warm
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. capital — money
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. capital — a city

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