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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pop — soda
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hand — in cards
  5. face — to confront
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. face — to point toward
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bark — to shout
  16. suit — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. hand — help
  24. last — finally

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