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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. charge — in control
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — a short time
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. charge — a price
  12. game — a match
  13. spell — magic
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. charge — electricity
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. spell — letters
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. game — wild animals
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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