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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rock — music
  11. mine — for digging
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. swing — music
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. swing — in golf
  24. temple — a place of worship

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