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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. board — to get on
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bat — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. march — music
  15. fall — the season
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a committee
  22. staff — a stick
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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