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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. spell — a short time
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. face — part of the head
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. capital — a city
  14. kick — in football
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. face — to confront
  20. spell — letters
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. capital — money
  24. spell — magic

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