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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. chest — a box
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. sharp — clever
  7. last — finally
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — for sport
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. court — of law
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. court — of a king
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. cap — of ice
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cap — a lid
  20. last — to go on
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — final
  24. chest — of your body

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