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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hand — help
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hand — in cards
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cell — in biology
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cell — a phone
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — music
  24. foot — part of the body

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