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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a dance
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. staff — a stick
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. sharp — clever
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. season — of the year
  14. deal — to handle
  15. staff — employees
  16. ball — a great time
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. season — in sport
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — exactly

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