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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stock — shares
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. shower — rain
  11. hand — help
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — in cards
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stock — goods
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. kick — with a leg

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