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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. rash — hasty
  3. chest — a box
  4. cell — a phone
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ground — a position
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chest — of your body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rash — a series
  20. pitch — completely
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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