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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — the underground
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. toast — bread
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spring — of water
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spring — the season
  17. tube — a container
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. foot — a measure
  24. temple — side of the head

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