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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. face — to confront
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. kick — in football
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. row — to paddle
  14. firm — steady
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. firm — decided
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bat — the animal
  20. craft — a skill
  21. firm — a company
  22. face — part of the head
  23. craft — boats
  24. stem — of a plant

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