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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mark — a grade
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rest — a break
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. charge — in control
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. charge — a price
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — a trace
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rest — what's left
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. charge — electricity
  23. chest — a box
  24. ball — a great time

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