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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. season — in sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. last — final
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. perch — the fish
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. ball — a great time

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