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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 bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. root — of a word
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pit — a hole
  10. root — of a plant
  11. face — to confront
  12. chip — for betting
  13. face — part of the head
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. root — the cause
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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