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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. roll — a cake
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bound — tied together
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lie — to recline
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. roll — a list
  11. last — to go on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. last — final
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. toast — bread
  19. bound — certain
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bound — obliged
  24. last — finally

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