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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a ring
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. snap — to click
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wound — an injury
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cue — a hint
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lean — to rest against

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