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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · perch · temple · key · mine · rule · swing · can

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bear — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. can — a tin
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. swing — to play on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rule — government
  20. key — for a lock
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bear — the animal
  23. key — in music
  24. temple — side of the head

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