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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mark — a trace
  3. game — wild animals
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. row — a line
  12. game — a match
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. object — to protest
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rock — music
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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