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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · cold · ball · last · temple · face · kick · track

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. face — to confront
  3. lean — to bend
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — to go on
  9. ball — a dance
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — final
  16. track — a song
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — finally
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kick — in football
  24. track — a path

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