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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. saw — the tool
  5. root — of a word
  6. staff — employees
  7. present — the time now
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. root — of a plant
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. present — there
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. foot — a measure
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. present — a gift

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