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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stem — to come from
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. object — to protest
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. kick — in football
  17. swing — music
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — to play on
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. object — a thing

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