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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. snap — to click
  2. date — the fruit
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — size or range
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. present — there
  10. club — a group
  11. present — the time now
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. scale — in music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. club — for dancing
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. present — a gift
  23. perch — the fish
  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