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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. key — in music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. key — for a lock
  13. lean — thin
  14. bat — the animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lean — to bend
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wound — an injury
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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