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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mug — a cup
  16. squash — to crush
  17. file — a document
  18. rest — what's left
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mug — to rob
  21. file — a tool
  22. mug — a face
  23. wax — to grow
  24. hide — to keep secret

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