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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fine — high quality
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. current — happening now
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fine — all right
  11. rest — a break
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. current — of water
  15. cap — of ice
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cap — a lid
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. current — electric
  24. rest — what's left

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