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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. chest — of your body
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. foot — a measure
  7. branch — a division
  8. cell — a phone
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chest — a box
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — of the year
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. season — in sport
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chest — of your body
  24. foot — part of the body

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