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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. kid — child
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. present — there
  9. charge — electricity
  10. toast — bread
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. charge — in control
  13. spell — a short time
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mine — for digging
  18. present — the time now
  19. march — music
  20. charge — a price
  21. spell — magic
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spell — letters

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