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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ground — crushed
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. sharp — clever
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ground — a position
  13. mate — a friend
  14. plane — a tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — the earth
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bowl — to roll

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