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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — to point toward
  6. root — of a plant
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. face — part of the head
  10. board — a committee
  11. root — the cause
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fine — all right
  14. ball — a dance
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. face — to confront
  17. board — to get on
  18. fine — high quality
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. root — of a word
  23. ball — a great time
  24. saw — the tool

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