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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. net — after costs
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. face — part of the head
  8. game — wild animals
  9. face — to confront
  10. rule — government
  11. net — for catching
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. game — a match
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. scale — in music
  23. rule — a law
  24. face — to point toward

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