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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pop — soda
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — happening now
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pop — to visit
  14. current — of water
  15. pop — music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tube — the underground
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. chest — a box
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. current — electric

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