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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spell — letters
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pit — a hole
  7. chest — of your body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rash — hasty
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rash — a series
  17. key — in music
  18. pit — in a race
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — magic
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. spell — a short time

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