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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. club — a group
  6. wound — an injury
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — the fish
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. club — for golf
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rush — a thrill

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