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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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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: game · arm · safe · cold · ball · cell · trunk · face

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cell — a phone
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. face — to confront
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cold — not warm
  17. game — a match
  18. ball — a dance
  19. face — to point toward
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. ball — a great time
  24. safe — out of danger

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