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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. shower — rain
  14. track — to keep track
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. track — a song
  17. present — a gift
  18. snap — to click
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. track — a path

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