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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. net — for catching
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — to be able to
  6. face — to point toward
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. track — a song
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — from a university
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kid — child
  21. face — part of the head
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bulb — for light

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