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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. roll — a list
  3. lean — to bend
  4. shower — to wash
  5. game — wild animals
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. perch — the fish
  11. game — a match
  12. pitch — completely
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. roll — a cake
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. shower — rain
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lean — thin
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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