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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fork — in a road
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. face — part of the head
  10. foot — a measure
  11. face — to confront
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. drill — the tool
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. face — to point toward
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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