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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. face — part of the head
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chip — to eat
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cap — a hat
  16. face — to confront
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cap — of ice
  20. kick — in football
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lash — an eyelash

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