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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. face — part of the head
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — to confront
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. kid — child
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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