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

Word bank: temple · snap · field · suit · perch · mate · hide · foot

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — farmland
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. snap — to click
  8. perch — the fish
  9. field — a subject
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mate — a partner
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mate — to breed
  15. field — for sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. suit — to fit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mate — a friend
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. suit — in cards

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