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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. firm — a company
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. face — to point toward
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — not warm
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — to confront
  13. cold — an illness
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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