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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. present — there
  3. scale — size or range
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. scale — in music
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. craft — boats
  8. hand — help
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wind — moving air
  12. craft — a skill
  13. swing — music
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. present — a gift
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bank — for money
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bank — for money
  22. present — the time now
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. swing — in golf

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