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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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. temple — side of the head
  4. cold — not warm
  5. track — a song
  6. rest — a break
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wind — moving air
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — a path
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. arm — part of the body

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