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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chest — a box
  8. fork — in a road
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chest — of your body
  12. firm — steady
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mark — a trace
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — of the year
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. firm — decided
  19. mark — a grade
  20. firm — a company
  21. season — in sport
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mine — an explosive
  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