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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. face — to point toward
  4. firm — steady
  5. chest — of your body
  6. key — for a lock
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. chest — a box
  11. firm — a company
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stem — to come from
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. firm — decided
  21. key — in music
  22. face — to confront
  23. deal — to handle
  24. key — the most important part

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