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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. hand — help
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fork — in a road
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. chest — a box
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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