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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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Word bank
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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cap — a lid
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tear — to rip
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tear — from crying
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pit — a hole
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cap — a hat
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. ball — a great time
  24. temple — a place of worship

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