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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. spell — letters
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spring — the season
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rest — a break
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rest — what's left
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kick — in football
  17. rest — what's left
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spell — magic
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spring — of water

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