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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: calf · arm · face · kick · cold · land · bound · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. land — to come down
  4. kick — in football
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — certain
  13. land — a country
  14. bound — tied together
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. face — to confront
  19. land — ground
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. face — to point toward

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