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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chip — to eat
  14. face — part of the head
  15. march — the month
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rash — hasty
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rash — a series
  24. can — a tin

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