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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mate — a friend
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. present — a gift
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mug — to rob
  9. track — a song
  10. present — the time now
  11. mug — a cup
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wax — to grow
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitch — completely
  18. track — a path
  19. mug — a face
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mate — a partner
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. present — there

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