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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. can — a tin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. squash — to crush
  5. sharp — clever
  6. face — to point toward
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cell — a phone
  11. squash — the sport
  12. game — a match
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. face — to confront
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cell — in biology
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — a kind of play

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