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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kick — in football
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fork — in a road
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. face — to point toward
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lie — to recline

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