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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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 — for a bird
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. perch — the fish
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fine — all right
  8. last — final
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tube — the underground
  15. last — finally
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fine — high quality
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wave — of the sea

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