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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fine — all right
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. drill — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fall — the season
  15. saw — the tool
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rule — a law
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rule — government
  24. cold — an illness

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