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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a grade
  12. clip — a video
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mark — a trace
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. clip — for paper

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