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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · game · craft · kick · safe · cold · cue · shower

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. craft — a skill
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. craft — boats
  8. cold — not warm
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cue — for pool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. shower — rain
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cue — a signal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. game — a match
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cue — a hint
  24. kick — in football

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