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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lean — thin
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ruler — for measuring

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