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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. charge — electricity
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. toast — bread
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. season — of the year
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. charge — in control
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. scale — in music
  17. charge — a price
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. season — in sport
  24. lash — to lash out

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