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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: hand · face · wake · spell · pit · march · fine · calf

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fine — all right
  3. face — to point toward
  4. march — the month
  5. wake — a trail
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pit — in a race
  8. march — the month
  9. face — to confront
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. march — music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fine — high quality
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. spell — magic
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. spell — letters

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