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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. staff — employees
  4. present — the time now
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. last — final
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. ground — a position
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mug — to rob
  16. last — finally
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ground — the earth
  19. present — a gift
  20. pit — a hole
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — to go on
  23. present — there
  24. temple — a place of worship

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