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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. firm — steady
  4. mug — to rob
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. season — of the year
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. firm — a company
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. mug — a cup
  14. face — part of the head
  15. firm — decided
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mug — a face
  18. face — to confront
  19. rash — hasty
  20. season — in sport
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. object — an aim

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