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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. face — part of the head
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. face — to confront
  8. game — wild animals
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mug — to rob
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cell — a phone
  16. dip — to sink
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mug — a cup
  19. snap — to click
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mug — a face
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. game — a match

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