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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. court — for sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. court — of a king
  8. current — of water
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. drill — army training
  12. pit — a hole
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. current — electric
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fine — all right
  18. court — of law
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — happening now
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pit — in a race

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