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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pit — a hole
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. march — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pit — in a race
  17. swing — music
  18. face — part of the head
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. swing — in golf
  24. saw — the tool

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