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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.

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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rule — government
  6. cold — an illness
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. season — of the year
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rule — a law
  17. chair — a leader
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. season — in sport

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