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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. clip — a video
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. clip — to cut
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. march — the month
  14. bass — the fish
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ground — crushed
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — for paper
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. shower — rain

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