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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. land — ground
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. land — a country
  11. date — the fruit
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tear — to rip
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fork — in a road
  17. land — to come down
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tear — from crying
  20. face — to confront
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fork — to eat with
  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