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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. foot — a measure
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cell — in biology
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chair — a leader
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. branch — a division
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cell — a phone
  23. chair — to sit on
  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