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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. shower — rain
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. last — finally
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. kick — in football
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. shower — to wash
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pound — a weight

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