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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. band — a ring
  5. file — a document
  6. foot — a measure
  7. land — ground
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — a hole
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. file — a tool
  14. row — a line
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pit — in a race
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. band — a music group
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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