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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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 — side of the head
  2. march — music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bear — the animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. land — to come down
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. march — the month
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. hand — help
  16. row — a line
  17. land — ground
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bear — the animal
  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