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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. clip — for paper
  3. drill — army training
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. clip — to cut
  6. degree — from a university
  7. face — to confront
  8. pit — a hole
  9. clip — a video
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pit — in a race
  24. calf — a young animal

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