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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: staff · straw · calf · land · kick · chest · face · rule

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. land — a country
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chest — a box
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. face — to confront
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. land — ground
  10. kick — in football
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. staff — employees
  14. face — to point toward
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. land — to come down
  20. face — part of the head
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chest — of your body

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