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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — for a lock
  7. capital — money
  8. fall — to drop
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. key — in music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fall — to drop
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fall — the season
  23. key — the most important part
  24. date — the fruit

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