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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. scale — in music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. foot — a measure
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. last — final
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. firm — decided
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. firm — steady
  11. bear — the animal
  12. firm — a company
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. bear — the animal
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. scale — size or range
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. last — finally
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — to go on
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. scale — for weighing

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