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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — in sport
  3. cue — a hint
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bore — to tire
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. court — of a king
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stand — to bear
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. shower — rain
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. season — of the year
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bore — to drill
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cue — for pool

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