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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. face — to confront
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spell — letters
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spell — magic
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. game — a match
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. face — part of the head
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pass — to succeed

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