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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. last — final
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. club — a group
  7. saw — the tool
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. court — of law
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. face — to confront
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. court — of a king
  24. root — the cause

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