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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. board — a committee
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. board — to get on
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. hand — help
  15. suit — clothes
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. prune — to trim
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitch — completely
  23. hand — in cards
  24. suit — in cards

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