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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — part of the head
  6. object — an aim
  7. shower — rain
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — to wash
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. object — to protest
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chest — a box
  20. charge — a price
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. net — after costs
  23. object — a thing
  24. net — for catching

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