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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. face — to confront
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — hurry
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mate — to breed
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kick — in football

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