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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. toast — bread
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. game — a match
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. shower — rain
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitch — completely
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. track — a path
  18. game — wild animals
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kick — a thrill

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