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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. face — to confront
  3. cold — not warm
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. chip — for betting
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chip — to eat
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cold — an illness
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. face — part of the head
  23. row — a line
  24. leaves — lets stay

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