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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. content — happy
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. content — the amount
  7. club — a group
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mug — a face
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mug — a cup
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. club — for dancing
  18. date — the fruit
  19. club — for golf
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mug — to rob
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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