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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. object — a thing
  4. rule — government
  5. staff — employees
  6. object — to protest
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. staff — a stick
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rule — a law
  13. field — a subject
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. staff — employees
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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