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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. last — finally
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cold — an illness
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. key — in music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. last — to go on
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rash — a series
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rash — hasty
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. last — final
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. face — to confront
  24. calf — a young animal

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