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

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wound — an injury
  3. shower — to wash
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — rain
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. object — a thing
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. shower — a meteor shower

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