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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bound — certain
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. foot — a measure
  7. hand — help
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cold — not warm
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. leaves — of a tree

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