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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. face — to point toward
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lie — to recline
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pop — music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pop — soda
  16. face — to confront
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — to visit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. ball — a great time
  23. clip — a video
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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