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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. face — to point toward
  3. hand — help
  4. lie — to recline
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. face — to confront
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fork — in a road
  15. board — a committee
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pass — a permit
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cold — an illness
  24. board — to get on

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