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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rock — music
  7. mate — a partner
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mate — to breed
  13. face — to confront
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. can — a tin
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tear — to rip
  19. can — to be able to
  20. face — to point toward
  21. roll — a list
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. rock — a stone

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