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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. hand — in cards
  3. toast — bread
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hand — help
  10. perch — the fish
  11. face — to point toward
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. face — part of the head
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. game — a match
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. face — to confront
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. temple — side of the head

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