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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mate — a partner
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mate — to breed
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. fine — high quality
  22. track — to keep track
  23. key — in music
  24. perch — for a bird

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