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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · temple · track · game · face · present · land · clip

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. track — a song
  4. clip — for paper
  5. game — a match
  6. clip — to cut
  7. face — to confront
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. track — to keep track
  10. present — the time now
  11. land — to come down
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. face — to point toward
  14. kick — in football
  15. clip — a video
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. land — ground
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — a path
  21. face — part of the head
  22. land — a country
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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