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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cap — a lid
  4. shower — rain
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. shower — to wash
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cap — a hat
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rock — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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