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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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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. root — the cause
  8. hand — help
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. root — of a plant
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ball — a dance
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bank — for money
  20. root — of a word
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. face — to confront
  24. calf — of the leg

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