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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fall — the season
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fall — to drop
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bore — to drill
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fall — to drop
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — rain
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rest — what's left
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rest — a break

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