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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pass — a permit
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — ground
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. face — to confront
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. land — a country
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — to come down
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wax — to grow
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bowl — a football final

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