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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. key — in music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. staff — employees
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. last — to go on
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — employees
  16. cell — in biology
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. key — the most important part
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. clip — a video
  22. cell — a phone
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — for paper

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