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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. capital — money
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tear — from crying
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cue — a signal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. game — a match
  17. face — to confront
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cue — a hint
  20. capital — a city
  21. cue — for pool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. prune — to trim
  24. calf — a young animal

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