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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — to wash
  9. face — to confront
  10. kid — child
  11. rash — hasty
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — finally
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. face — to point toward
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. last — to go on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — final
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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