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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. season — of the year
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bear — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cold — not warm
  8. season — in sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cold — an illness
  22. dip — to sink
  23. chest — a box
  24. bulb — for light

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