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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. perch — the fish
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. face — to point toward
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. face — to confront
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — part of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bulb — for light

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