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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pop — to visit
  3. foot — a measure
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. hand — in cards
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pop — soda
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pop — music
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. face — part of the head
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — all right
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ground — crushed
  24. march — the month

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