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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cold — not warm
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. key — in music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rash — hasty
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. key — for a lock

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