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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. last — to go on
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. last — final
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pop — to visit
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. drill — army training
  15. pop — soda
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. last — finally
  22. pop — music
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. ruler — for measuring

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