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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ground — a position
  3. face — to confront
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lean — thin
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ground — crushed
  16. face — to point toward
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lean — to bend
  19. ground — the earth
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. sharp — exactly

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