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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cap — a hat
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fine — all right
  13. cap — a lid
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fine — high quality
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. shower — rain
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ruler — for measuring

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