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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. face — to point toward
  4. club — for dancing
  5. face — part of the head
  6. roll — a list
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. face — to confront
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. club — a group
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — the fish
  16. squash — to crush
  17. roll — a cake
  18. club — for golf
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ground — crushed
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ground — a position
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. squash — the vegetable

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