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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. charge — electricity
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fine — all right
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. charge — a price
  11. net — after costs
  12. charge — in control
  13. fine — high quality
  14. staff — employees
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. face — part of the head
  18. net — for catching
  19. perch — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. face — to confront
  23. net — in sport
  24. staff — a stick

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