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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: chest · key · suit · temple · mine · lie · hand · row

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. hand — help
  2. row — a line
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. key — the most important part
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. chest — of your body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — in cards
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lie — to recline
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — to paddle
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mine — for digging
  18. key — in music
  19. chest — a box
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lie — an untruth
  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