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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. net — after costs
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chest — of your body
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. chest — of your body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. craft — boats
  19. pound — a weight
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chest — a box
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. arm — a part of something

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