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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rash — hasty
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bank — for money
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — a match
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cold — an illness
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — a series
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rest — a break
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bank — for money
  24. rash — on the skin

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