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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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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: straw · stick · fork · calf · face · cap · cell · bat

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fork — in a road
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bat — the animal
  7. face — to confront
  8. cell — a phone
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cap — a hat
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cap — a lid
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cap — of ice
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bat — in an idiom

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