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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. band — a music group
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. band — a ring
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rule — a law
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. snap — to click
  15. pit — in a race
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rule — government
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. face — part of the head
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. face — to point toward
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cabinet — ministers

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