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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
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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. lie — to recline
  3. cell — a phone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cue — for pool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — money
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wound — an injury
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cue — a signal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. capital — a city
  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