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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. shower — rain
  7. march — the month
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. kick — in football
  16. march — music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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