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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. roll — a cake
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mouse — the animal

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