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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. 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. temple — a place of worship
  2. toast — bread
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mug — a cup
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rash — a series
  10. spell — a short time
  11. chest — a box
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. rash — hasty
  18. 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