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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fall — to drop
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fall — to drop
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tear — from crying
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fall — the season
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bass — low music
  18. chair — a leader
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ball — a round shape

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