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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ball — a great time
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. chest — a box
  13. row — to paddle
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. row — a line
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bound — obliged
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ball — a round shape

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