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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. charge — a price
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ball — a dance
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. charge — in control
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. net — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. foot — a measure
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ball — a great time
  17. net — after costs
  18. temple — side of the head

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