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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. lean — thin
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bear — the animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — a match
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bear — the animal

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