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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — ground
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. perch — the fish
  9. land — a country
  10. track — to keep track
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — a path
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a song
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. land — to come down
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. ruler — for measuring

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