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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. perch — the fish
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitch — completely
  16. saw — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. capital — a city
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. capital — money
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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