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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wound — an injury
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. capital — a city
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. face — to point toward
  15. march — music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. capital — money
  24. face — to confront

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