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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pitch — completely
  10. face — to point toward
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. row — to paddle
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — part of the head
  21. row — a line
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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