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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: cell · foot · sharp · fan · wind · scale · season · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. sharp — clever
  3. scale — size or range
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cell — a phone
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. season — of the year
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. season — in sport
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — in music
  24. foot — the bottom

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