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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. key — for a lock
  5. snap — to click
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mark — a trace
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — an amount
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cell — in biology
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. degree — temperature
  18. key — the most important part
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. key — in music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mark — a grade
  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