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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. hand — in cards
  3. track — a song
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. face — to confront
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hand — help
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. track — to keep track
  18. face — part of the head
  19. track — a path
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. file — a line of people

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