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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. spell — letters
  4. scale — size or range
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. charge — a price
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. charge — electricity
  9. scale — in music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. charge — in control
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spell — magic
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. spell — a short time
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rush — hurry
  19. row — to paddle
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. row — a line
  24. leaves — lets stay

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