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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitch — completely
  4. net — after costs
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. net — in sport
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fall — the season
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fall — to drop
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chest — a box
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chest — of your body
  24. face — to confront

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