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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. march — the month
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — to cut
  15. march — the month
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bark — to shout
  18. perch — the fish
  19. march — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. lie — to recline
  24. perch — for a bird

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