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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — of the year
  3. present — a gift
  4. swing — music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. scale — size or range
  10. swing — in golf
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. scale — in music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. season — in sport
  17. present — there
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — to play on
  20. kick — in football
  21. shower — rain
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. present — the time now
  24. safe — out of danger

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