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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. plane — a tool
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. toast — bread
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. row — a line
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pit — in a race
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. club — a group

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