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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fall — the season
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. land — to come down
  8. swing — music
  9. land — a country
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fall — to drop
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. swing — in golf
  15. degree — temperature
  16. land — ground
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — an amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. temple — side of the head

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