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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.

Make a worksheet

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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lean — to bend
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — clever
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chest — a box
  9. pit — in a race
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. spell — letters
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lean — thin
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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