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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · lean · cold · season · kick · temple · bear · mouse

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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 — the Cold War
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. face — to confront
  4. kick — in football
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. season — in sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lean — to bend
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lean — thin
  17. season — of the year
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bear — the animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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