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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. firm — decided
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. spring — the season
  10. firm — steady
  11. spring — a coil
  12. shower — rain
  13. net — for catching
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — in sport
  16. spring — of water
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — after costs
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. firm — a company
  24. rock — a stone

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