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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. land — to come down
  7. mate — to breed
  8. face — part of the head
  9. land — a country
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wound — an injury
  14. present — there
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. face — to confront
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — a friend
  19. face — to point toward
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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