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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. object — an aim
  2. face — to point toward
  3. object — a thing
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. face — to confront
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ball — a dance
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bark — to shout
  15. object — to protest
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. face — part of the head
  21. game — a match
  22. key — in music
  23. snap — to click
  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