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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pound — a weight
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — of your body
  16. scale — in music
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. dip — to sink
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. snap — to click
  22. degree — temperature
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chest — a box

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