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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cap — a hat
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cap — of ice
  11. face — to point toward
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. last — finally
  15. face — to confront
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. cap — a lid
  19. face — part of the head
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. foot — a measure
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kick — in football

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