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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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468
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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. content — the amount
  8. key — for a lock
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rest — what's left
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. can — a tin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. content — happy
  17. hand — help
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rest — a break
  20. key — the most important part
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitch — completely

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