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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. band — a ring
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. craft — boats
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cold — an illness
  9. face — to confront
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. band — a music group
  15. cold — not warm
  16. craft — a skill
  17. face — part of the head
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. stand — to bear
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. coach — a trainer

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