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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. face — part of the head
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mug — to rob
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mug — a face
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — child
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mug — a cup
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. face — to point toward
  21. scale — in music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. face — to confront
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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