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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. face — to confront
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fine — high quality
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pit — a hole
  13. court — of law
  14. drill — the tool
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fine — all right
  19. court — of a king
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pit — in a race
  24. straw — a straw man

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