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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mate — to breed
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. foot — a measure
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pass — a permit
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. foot — the bottom

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