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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tear — to rip
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. present — a gift
  5. mug — to rob
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mug — a cup
  10. present — the time now
  11. key — for a lock
  12. board — a committee
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kick — in football
  15. mug — a face
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. key — in music
  24. present — there

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