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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. game — a match
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. march — music
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — the month
  11. firm — a company
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. firm — steady
  17. rash — a series
  18. march — the month
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. firm — decided
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. game — wild animals
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chest — of your body

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