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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — to rob
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wax — to grow
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mark — a grade
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. charge — in control
  12. perch — the fish
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. charge — a price
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mark — a trace
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. roll — a list
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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