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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.

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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. swing — music
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. file — a document
  5. mug — a face
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mug — a cup
  10. swing — to play on
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. file — a tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. content — happy
  15. file — a line of people
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. can — a tin
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. content — the amount
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mug — to rob

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