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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kick — in football
  4. face — to point toward
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — to confront
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. season — in sport
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pass — a permit

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