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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bound — obliged
  7. swing — to play on
  8. net — for catching
  9. foot — a measure
  10. swing — music
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kick — in football
  13. net — after costs
  14. bound — certain
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. net — in sport
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. swing — in golf

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