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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fine — all right
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. hand — help
  13. last — to go on
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fine — high quality
  23. hand — in cards
  24. deal — an agreement

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