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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · sharp · last · swing · staff · spell · calf · face

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spell — letters
  5. last — final
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. face — to point toward
  8. staff — employees
  9. face — part of the head
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spell — magic
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. face — to confront
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — finally
  22. swing — to play on
  23. spell — a short time
  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