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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 116 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. squash — to crush
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — the time now
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. clip — to cut
  12. present — there
  13. stand — to bear
  14. net — after costs
  15. shower — rain
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — in sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. present — a gift
  22. pound — a weight
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. net — for catching

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