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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a great time
  3. perch — the fish
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — ground
  7. kid — child
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. suit — clothes
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. suit — in cards
  14. deal — to handle
  15. kid — to tease
  16. land — to come down
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. suit — to fit
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. land — a country

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