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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. clip — for paper
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spring — of water
  6. march — music
  7. spring — the season
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — a video
  16. march — the month
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. staff — employees
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. clip — to cut
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lash — an eyelash

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