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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. season — in sport
  3. ball — a dance
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — part of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — happy
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. season — of the year
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. face — to point toward
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stand — to bear
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. face — to confront

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