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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — a hat
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cap — a lid
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cap — of ice
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. key — in music
  22. lean — thin
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chair — a leader

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