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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. track — a path
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. object — an aim
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. current — of water
  12. object — a thing
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — happening now
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. object — to protest
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. current — electric
  24. track — a song

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