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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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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lie — to recline
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cap — of ice
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. game — a match
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. face — to confront
  22. fork — in a road
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wake — a trail

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