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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chest — of your body
  5. date — the fruit
  6. swing — to play on
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chest — of your body
  12. swing — music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chest — a box
  22. chip — to eat
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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