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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. perch — the fish
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. race — a contest
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hand — in cards
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. hand — help
  14. dip — to sink
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — for digging
  24. perch — for a bird

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