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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. lean — to bend
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. march — the month
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. march — music
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lean — thin
  23. march — the month
  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