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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cell — in biology
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. kick — in football
  14. snap — to click
  15. content — happy
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cell — a phone
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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