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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. swing — music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bore — to tire
  7. face — part of the head
  8. band — a ring
  9. bore — to drill
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. suit — in cards
  12. cold — an illness
  13. swing — in golf
  14. can — a tin
  15. suit — clothes
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to confront
  18. band — a music group
  19. can — to be able to
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. face — to point toward
  24. swing — to play on

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