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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. firm — decided
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. drill — a practice
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. drill — army training
  19. spring — the season
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. firm — a company
  22. drill — the tool
  23. firm — steady
  24. temple — side of the head

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