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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. can — a tin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. drill — army training
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cold — not warm
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lie — to recline
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. can — to be able to
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. temple — a place of worship

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