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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. board — to get on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. object — an aim
  8. chest — of your body
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. file — a document
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. file — a tool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chest — a box
  15. object — a thing
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pound — a weight
  19. board — a committee
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. tube — a container
  22. object — to protest
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. file — a line of people

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