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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. net — in sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kick — in football
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chair — a leader
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — a division
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. net — after costs
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. net — for catching

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