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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fine — all right
  3. face — part of the head
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cold — not warm
  12. spell — magic
  13. pit — in a race
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. spell — letters
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pit — a hole
  23. board — to get on
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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