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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. race — the arms race
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mark — a grade
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. shower — to wash
  12. race — humankind
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kick — in football
  18. shower — rain
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. race — a contest
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. drill — a practice

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