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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. last — final
  8. chip — to eat
  9. season — of the year
  10. band — a music group
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. track — a path
  13. season — in sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a ring
  19. last — to go on
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — finally
  22. track — a song
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fan — a supporter

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