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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bound — certain
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. clip — for paper
  17. club — for golf
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bound — obliged
  20. club — for dancing
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. club — a group
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wave — with your hand

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