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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. net — in sport
  4. kick — in football
  5. march — the month
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cold — an illness
  9. net — for catching
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. face — to confront
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. march — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. net — after costs
  20. march — the month
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cold — not warm
  24. face — part of the head

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