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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rest — a break
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. chest — a box
  9. kick — in football
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. tube — a container
  13. shower — to wash
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. snap — to click
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. toast — bread
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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