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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. band — a ring
  4. press — to push
  5. file — a tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bear — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. press — a publisher
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. shower — rain
  14. band — a music group
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. file — a document
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. shower — to wash
  22. scale — in music
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bear — the animal

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