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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bass — low music
  9. track — a song
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kick — in football
  18. track — a path
  19. ground — a position
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ground — the earth
  24. coach — a trainer

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