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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — a short time
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mate — a friend
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spell — letters
  17. lean — thin
  18. date — the fruit
  19. spell — magic
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mate — a partner

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