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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — for money
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mate — a friend
  7. band — a music group
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bank — of a river
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. band — a ring
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bank — for money
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rest — what's left

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