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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. hand — help
  3. lean — thin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bark — to shout
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. face — to confront
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — clever

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