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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. tube — a container
  4. fall — to drop
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — an aim
  7. game — a match
  8. tube — the underground
  9. object — a thing
  10. craft — boats
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — wild animals
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. face — to point toward
  20. race — humankind
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. object — to protest
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fall — the season

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