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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lie — to recline
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wax — to grow
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — the earth
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. court — for sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — of law
  19. roll — a cake
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — of a king
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — a position

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