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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — ground
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. land — a country
  8. roll — a list
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. march — music
  13. scale — in music
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. roll — a cake
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. scale — size or range
  18. march — the month
  19. land — to come down
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wax — to grow
  23. march — the month
  24. wax — for sculpting

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