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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 116 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: nail · shower · calf · face · season · pitcher · pass · mug

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. face — to point toward
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pass — a permit
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. shower — rain
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mug — a face
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. season — in sport
  15. face — part of the head
  16. season — of the year
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. face — to confront
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mug — a cup

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