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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. face — to confront
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bore — to drill
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. spell — letters
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stock — goods
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stock — shares
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. scale — in music
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bore — to tire
  21. last — final
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. scale — size or range

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