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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — a box
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bulb — for light
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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