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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. row — to paddle
  8. file — a tool
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. row — a line
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a line of people
  15. kick — in football
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rash — a series
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. file — a document
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rash — on the skin

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