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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pop — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kick — in football
  16. roll — a list
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bound — certain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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