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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. face — part of the head
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rash — a series
  15. mark — a trace
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rash — hasty
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cap — a lid
  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