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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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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. face — part of the head
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. face — to confront
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. board — a committee
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on

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