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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. content — happy
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cap — a hat
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. perch — the fish
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bear — the animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mine — for digging
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. content — the amount
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rest — a break

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