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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. staff — employees
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. face — to confront
  6. game — a match
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bound — tied together
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bat — the animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — for digging
  19. game — wild animals
  20. face — part of the head
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. staff — employees
  24. face — to point toward

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