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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. track — to keep track
  3. suit — to fit
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. track — a path
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ball — a dance
  8. season — in sport
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. face — to confront
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. suit — clothes
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. track — a song
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. suit — in cards
  23. season — of the year
  24. leaves — lets stay

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