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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chest — a box
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chest — of your body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fine — all right
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chip — for betting
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tear — to rip
  19. face — part of the head
  20. net — after costs
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — for catching
  24. face — to point toward

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