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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hand — help
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. game — wild animals
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. game — a match
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mate — a partner

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