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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: fan · kick · cold · mark · lie · bear · leaves · hand

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — help
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mark — a grade
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kick — in football
  24. leaves — to go away

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