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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. spell — magic
  9. charge — in control
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — a price
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. branch — a division
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rush — hurry
  22. spell — a short time
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rush — a thrill

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