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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mug — a face
  10. bass — low music
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — there
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pound — a weight
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bass — the fish
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mug — to rob
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chest — a box

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