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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. face — part of the head
  9. race — the arms race
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — an illness
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. face — to point toward
  19. kick — in football
  20. bank — for money
  21. face — to confront
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. mouse — the animal

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