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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. face — to confront
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pitch — completely
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. band — a music group
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. lean — thin
  20. pass — a permit
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. face — to point toward
  24. band — a ring

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