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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — a face
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wake — a trail
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mug — a cup
  17. spell — a short time
  18. charge — in control
  19. mug — to rob
  20. charge — a price
  21. perch — the fish
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. charge — electricity
  24. spell — magic

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