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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fork — in a road
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — hasty
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rash — a series
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wind — moving air

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