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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. charge — in control
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. spell — letters
  11. charge — a price
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cold — not warm
  14. spell — magic
  15. charge — electricity
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. kick — in football
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. cold — an illness
  21. chest — a box
  22. spell — a short time
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. roll — a cake

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