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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. firm — decided
  10. capital — money
  11. row — to paddle
  12. face — to point toward
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. firm — steady
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pit — in a race
  19. firm — a company
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. capital — a city
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pit — a fruit 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