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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. face — part of the head
  3. firm — decided
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mate — a friend
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. club — a group
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. face — to confront
  11. mate — a partner
  12. firm — a company
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. club — for dancing
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. firm — steady
  22. face — to point toward
  23. tube — the underground
  24. club — for golf

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