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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 120 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. season — in sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — final
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. face — part of the head
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. face — to confront
  13. season — of the year
  14. mate — a friend
  15. last — to go on
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. chip — for betting
  21. last — finally
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chip — to eat
  24. face — to point toward

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