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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. drill — army training
  6. face — to point toward
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. face — part of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — from a university
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bore — to drill
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — to recline
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pit — in a race
  22. degree — an amount
  23. face — to confront
  24. pit — a hole

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