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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. track — a song
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. shower — to wash
  5. last — to go on
  6. face — to confront
  7. deal — to handle
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. sharp — clever
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pit — a hole
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. last — finally
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. track — a path
  16. pit — in a race
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. last — final
  22. shower — rain
  23. calf — a young animal
  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