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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — of the year
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rock — a stone
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lie — to recline
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a tool
  17. march — music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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