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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: row · temple · hide · pit · lie · chest · chair · net

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. row — to paddle
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chest — a box
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. row — a line
  10. net — in sport
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pit — in a race
  13. lie — to recline
  14. net — for catching
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. net — after costs
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pit — a hole
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. chest — of your body

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