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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. face — to confront
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — a gift
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. bulb — for light
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bulb — for light
  21. face — to point toward
  22. present — there
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bulb — of a plant

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