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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. clip — a video
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rest — a break
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. clip — to cut
  13. file — a document
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rest — what's left
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lie — to recline
  18. board — to get on
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. clip — for paper
  21. file — a tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. board — a committee
  24. dip — to dunk

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