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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pass — a permit
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hand — help
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — in cards
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pitcher — a jug

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