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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fine — high quality
  5. scale — in music
  6. face — to confront
  7. clip — for paper
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fine — all right
  10. pit — in a race
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pit — a hole
  14. clip — to cut
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. current — electric
  19. scale — size or range
  20. current — of water
  21. clip — a video
  22. chest — a box
  23. current — happening now
  24. scale — for weighing

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