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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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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: court · arm · pound · saw · face · fork · mug · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pound — a weight
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. court — of law
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. face — part of the head
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mug — a face
  21. court — of a king
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mug — to rob
  24. court — for sport

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