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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. face — to confront
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. game — wild animals
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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