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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. scale — in music
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. suit — clothes
  15. scale — size or range
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. suit — in cards
  23. kick — in football
  24. tear — to rip

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