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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. season — of the year
  8. present — a gift
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. perch — the fish
  13. capital — a city
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — what's left
  17. present — the time now
  18. rest — a break
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. present — there
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. season — in sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. capital — money

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