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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. shower — rain
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mate — a friend
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cell — a phone
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. suit — clothes
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mate — to breed
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rash — a series
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. suit — to fit

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