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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pound — a weight
  4. sharp — clever
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. cap — a hat
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. face — to point toward
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bound — tied together
  13. spring — the season
  14. hand — in cards
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. spring — of water
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spring — a coil
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pound — to hit hard

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