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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.

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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. march — the month
  3. roll — a list
  4. saw — the tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — the month
  8. firm — a company
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. firm — steady
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. march — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. roll — a cake
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. firm — decided
  22. chest — a box
  23. rest — what's left
  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