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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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. hand — help
  4. race — humankind
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. race — a contest
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hide — animal skin

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