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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mark — a trace
  5. capital — money
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — farmland
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cue — a signal
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. lie — to recline
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. capital — a city
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cue — a hint
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mark — a grade
  24. lie — an untruth

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