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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. clip — a video
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fall — the season
  7. clip — to cut
  8. court — of law
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fall — to drop
  14. saw — the tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. court — of a king
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. tear — from crying
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fall — to drop
  24. temple — a place of worship

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