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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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. face — to point toward
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — magic
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. drill — army training
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cold — an illness
  14. drill — a practice
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. drill — the tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. spell — letters
  20. face — part of the head
  21. track — a song
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spell — a short time

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