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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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468
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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. scale — in music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. swing — music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. swing — in golf
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. perch — the fish
  15. current — happening now
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. current — of water
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. current — electric
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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