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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — the fish
  4. object — an aim
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. object — a thing
  7. present — a gift
  8. fall — the season
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. court — of law
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. present — the time now
  15. drill — army training
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. fall — to drop
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. present — there

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