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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rash — a series
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. last — to go on
  5. chest — a box
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. face — part of the head
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. face — to confront
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rash — hasty
  15. last — final
  16. spring — of water
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. last — finally
  23. spring — a coil
  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