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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cold — an illness
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. band — a music group
  5. roll — a list
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cold — not warm
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. roll — a cake
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. face — to point toward
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. face — to confront
  22. lie — to recline
  23. band — a ring
  24. lie — an untruth

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