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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. present — the time now
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. present — there
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a line of people
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. content — happy
  18. file — a document
  19. content — the amount
  20. file — a tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. present — a gift
  24. arm — part of the body

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