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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pit — in a race
  4. present — there
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. firm — steady
  7. cell — in biology
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. scale — size or range
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. firm — a company
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pitch — completely
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. scale — in music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. firm — decided
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cell — a phone

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