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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mate — a friend
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. march — the month
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. key — in music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hand — in cards
  17. key — the most important part
  18. shower — to wash
  19. march — music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. march — the month
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. mate — to breed

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