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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — happy
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tear — to rip
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. file — a tool
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. tear — from crying
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. kick — in football
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. file — a document
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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