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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.

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: hide · foot · temple · content · chest · season · shower · mark

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mark — a grade
  4. season — in sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. content — happy
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mark — a trace
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. chest — a box
  18. season — of the year
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. chest — of your body
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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