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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. key — in music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — to cut
  10. key — the most important part
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. clip — for paper
  14. land — to come down
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. land — a country
  18. sharp — clever
  19. land — ground
  20. clip — a video
  21. key — for a lock
  22. track — a path
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. temple — side of the head

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