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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. snap — to click
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a document
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. file — a line of people
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hide — animal skin

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