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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lie — to recline
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. face — to confront
  10. saw — the tool
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spring — the season
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pound — a weight
  16. face — part of the head
  17. row — a line
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cue — a signal
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. calf — of the leg

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