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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. track — a song
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spell — letters
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. dip — to sink
  16. season — of the year
  17. shower — rain
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. track — to keep track
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — a path
  24. lash — an eyelash

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