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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. present — the time now
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. spell — a short time
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — to visit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pop — music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pop — soda
  17. present — a gift
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spell — letters
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — there
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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