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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fine — all right
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lean — thin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. content — the amount
  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