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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fall — the season
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bass — low music
  7. band — a music group
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. saw — the tool
  10. roll — a list
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — the tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. roll — a cake
  24. band — a ring

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