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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. current — happening now
  3. drill — the tool
  4. season — in sport
  5. roll — a cake
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. row — to paddle
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. row — a line
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — army training
  13. board — a committee
  14. current — of water
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. board — to get on
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. roll — a list
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lie — to recline
  23. season — of the year
  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