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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. staff — a stick
  3. face — to point toward
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. staff — employees
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. face — to confront
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. staff — employees
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. scale — in music

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