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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cell — a phone
  4. last — final
  5. face — to point toward
  6. last — to go on
  7. face — to confront
  8. bank — for money
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bank — of a river
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — in sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. season — of the year
  18. cell — in a prison

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