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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. firm — steady
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. firm — decided
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. firm — a company
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cell — in biology
  17. season — of the year
  18. wound — an injury
  19. face — to confront
  20. bound — certain
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cell — in a prison
  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