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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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468
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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. game — a match
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. season — in sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. face — to point toward
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cold — not warm
  17. game — wild animals
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rash — a series
  22. season — of the year
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cold — the Cold War

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