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

Word bank: face · cabinet · cold · fork · temple · dip · wind · cap

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — an illness
  5. face — to confront
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. dip — to sink
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cap — a lid
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. face — part of the head
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cold — not warm

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