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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. board — a committee
  4. fine — all right
  5. spring — the season
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spell — magic
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. spring — a coil
  10. board — to get on
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chest — a box
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. spring — of water
  18. spell — letters
  19. chest — of your body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. tear — from crying
  24. temple — a place of worship

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