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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. shower — to wash
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ground — crushed
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. season — of the year
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rash — a series
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. shower — rain
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ground — the earth
  16. season — in sport
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. lean — to bend
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ground — a position
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kick — in football
  23. lean — thin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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