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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pit · chest · game · fine · lean · temple · spring · trunk

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pit — in a race
  3. spring — the season
  4. chest — of your body
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — thin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chest — a box
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. game — a match
  15. lean — to bend
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fine — all right
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — wild animals
  24. temple — a place of worship

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