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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. ground — a position
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. face — to confront
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ground — crushed
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bat — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wax — to grow
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitch — completely

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