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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — a stick
  9. row — a line
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wind — moving air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. face — to confront
  21. staff — employees
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. face — to point toward

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