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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — to go on
  5. mug — a face
  6. last — finally
  7. spell — magic
  8. net — after costs
  9. last — final
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. object — a thing
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. squash — the sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitch — completely
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. object — an aim
  19. squash — to crush
  20. net — for catching
  21. mug — to rob
  22. net — in sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. object — to protest

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