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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rule — government
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. firm — decided
  6. row — a line
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. perch — the fish
  9. band — a ring
  10. firm — steady
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pitch — completely
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. firm — a company
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rule — a law
  21. band — a music group
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — to paddle
  24. band — a rubber band

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