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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — a match
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. game — wild animals
  17. deal — to handle
  18. face — part of the head
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chest — of your body

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