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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fine — high quality
  3. content — happy
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — the fish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — the amount
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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