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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — to come down
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. land — ground
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. land — a country

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