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

Word bank: cue · land · lash · foot · mine · chest · pound · temple

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. land — to come down
  5. cue — a signal
  6. land — ground
  7. chest — a box
  8. foot — a measure
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cue — for pool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pound — a weight
  15. land — a country
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pound — for dogs

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