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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. club — a group
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. tear — from crying
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. object — to protest
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fork — in a road
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cold — an illness
  18. object — an aim
  19. tear — from crying
  20. club — for dancing
  21. tear — to rip
  22. object — a thing
  23. club — for golf
  24. fork — to eat with

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