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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. key — the most important part
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. roll — a list
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bulb — for light
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bulb — for light
  17. key — for a lock
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. shower — to wash
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. key — in music
  23. shower — rain
  24. bulb — of a plant

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