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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bound — obliged
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cell — in biology
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — magic
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bound — certain
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bound — tied together
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spell — letters
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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