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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 120 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: temple · present · lie · trunk · kick · rash · key · fork

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. present — the time now
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rash — hasty
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rash — a series
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lie — to recline
  20. key — the most important part
  21. present — a gift
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. present — there
  24. key — in music

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