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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — a position
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rock — a stone
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. shower — rain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ground — crushed

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