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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 120 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. season — of the year
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — in sport
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. key — for a lock
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ball — a great time

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