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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match

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