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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kid — to tease
  4. face — part of the head
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. charge — in control
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. charge — a price
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — to point toward
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cold — an illness
  19. kid — child
  20. face — to confront
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cold — not warm
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. game — a match

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