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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chest — of your body
  7. capital — money
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fine — high quality
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pound — a weight
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fine — all right
  22. chest — a box
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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