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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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. rule — a law
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. drill — army training
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wax — to grow
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rule — government
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. kick — in football
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mark — a grade

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