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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chest — a box
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. shower — rain
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. game — a match
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rule — a law
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rule — government
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. game — wild animals

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