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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. face — to point toward
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — rain
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — to wash
  11. face — to confront
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. present — the time now
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — part of the head

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