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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 120 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. last — finally
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fine — all right
  5. object — an aim
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. last — final
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fine — high quality
  17. object — a thing
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. object — to protest
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitch — completely
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pass — a permit

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