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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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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: hide · staff · charge · temple · ball · clip · lie · land

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — to cut
  5. staff — employees
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ball — a great time
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. land — a country
  11. clip — a video
  12. charge — a price
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. charge — electricity
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lie — to recline
  17. staff — employees
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. land — to come down
  20. ball — a dance
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. land — ground
  23. staff — a stick
  24. charge — in control

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