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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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. sharp — clever
  4. fine — high quality
  5. face — part of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bound — obliged
  8. face — to confront
  9. bound — tied together
  10. clip — a video
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tube — the underground
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bound — certain
  15. face — to point toward
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. tube — a container
  24. fine — all right

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