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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — in cards
  5. spring — the season
  6. saw — the tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. hand — help
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spring — of water
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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