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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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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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — a cup
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. spring — of water
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chip — to eat
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. spring — a coil
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mug — a face
  15. season — of the year
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — in sport
  18. spring — the season
  19. chip — for betting
  20. fine — all right
  21. lean — thin
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mug — to rob
  24. lean — to bend

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