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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. present — the time now
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bound — certain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — obliged
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. board — a committee
  15. wake — a trail
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wake — before a funeral

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