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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. can — a tin
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. last — finally
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fine — high quality
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. can — a tin
  16. clip — to cut
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. can — to be able to
  20. clip — a video
  21. foot — a measure
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. kick — in football

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