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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bound — certain
  4. spell — letters
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rush — hurry
  8. face — to point toward
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rest — what's left
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bass — the fish
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spell — magic
  24. rest — a break

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