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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fine — high quality
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. shower — rain
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. fine — all right
  17. bulb — for light
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. calf — of the leg

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