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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. sharp — clever
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pass — a permit
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. fan — a supporter

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