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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 124 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. current — happening now
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — electric
  8. bank — of a river
  9. file — a document
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chest — a box
  13. spell — magic
  14. current — of water
  15. spell — letters
  16. bank — for money
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. spell — a short time
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  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