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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. last — final
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fine — all right
  9. cell — a phone
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. fine — high quality
  14. last — finally
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cell — in biology
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. last — to go on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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