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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chip — to eat
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bound — obliged
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bound — certain
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lie — to recline
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. perch — for a bird

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