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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. season — in sport
  4. chip — for betting
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. season — of the year
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — in football
  24. chip — to eat

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