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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.

Make a worksheet

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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. kick — in football
  9. firm — steady
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. chest — a box
  12. firm — decided
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — a company
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chest — of your body

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