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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 120 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. lie — to recline
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. face — to confront
  11. scale — in music
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cold — not warm
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cue — a signal
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. face — to point toward
  24. branch — a division

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