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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. last — finally
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — final
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — for dancing
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — to go on
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. content — the amount
  16. rash — a series
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. club — a group
  22. content — happy
  23. face — to confront
  24. club — for golf

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