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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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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: temple · kick · season · march · chest · trunk · lean · rule

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rule — a law
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. kick — in football
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. march — music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. rule — government
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lean — to bend
  21. march — the month
  22. chest — a box
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lean — thin

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