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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kid — child
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mug — a face
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. perch — the fish

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