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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. face — to point toward
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pop — music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. face — to confront
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. track — a path
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kick — in football
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pop — soda
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pop — to visit

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