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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — help
  5. toast — bread
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. game — wild animals
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — in cards
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fork — in a road

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