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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. pit — in a race
  4. present — there
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wound — an injury
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. last — to go on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. last — final
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. face — to confront
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. present — a gift
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. present — the time now
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. last — finally
  23. wound — an injury
  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