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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bound — obliged
  9. kick — in football
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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