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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. race — the arms race
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. race — humankind
  10. mate — to breed
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — a subject
  14. mate — a friend
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mate — a partner
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. race — a contest

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