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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. face — part of the head
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. mate — a partner
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tube — a container
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mate — a friend
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. row — a line

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