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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lie — to recline
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pop — music
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. wake — a trail
  13. drill — the tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. face — to point toward
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pop — soda
  22. drill — army training
  23. calf — a young animal
  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