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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. scale — in music
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — finally
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. last — to go on
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. spell — letters
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. last — final
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mark — a grade
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bat — the animal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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