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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.

Make a worksheet

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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pop — to visit
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pop — music
  12. season — of the year
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pop — soda
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. roll — a list
  20. charge — a price
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. charge — in control
  24. lash — an eyelash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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