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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rock — a stone
  7. capital — a city
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rock — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. staff — employees
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. staff — employees
  18. swing — music
  19. capital — money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bound — certain
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — part of the head

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