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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. season — of the year
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bat — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rock — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. drill — a practice
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. present — there
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rock — a stone
  23. drill — army training
  24. present — the time now

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