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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. firm — steady
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — letters
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. firm — a company
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bat — the animal
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. face — part of the head
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kick — in football
  19. press — newspapers
  20. firm — decided
  21. spell — magic
  22. face — to confront
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spell — a short time

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