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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 didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — a box
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chest — of your body
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rest — a break
  24. temple — a place of worship

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