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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lean — thin
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cell — a phone
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pit — in a race

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