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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rock — music
  4. dip — to sink
  5. present — a gift
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mate — a friend
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — help
  17. mate — to breed
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. perch — the fish
  23. hand — in cards
  24. racket — for tennis

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