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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — clever
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. land — a country
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. land — to come down
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fine — all right
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. land — ground
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. face — to confront
  23. bank — of a river
  24. calf — a young animal

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