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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. capital — a city
  9. tube — the underground
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. net — after costs
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. capital — money
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kick — in football
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. lean — to bend
  24. leaves — of a tree

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