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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kid — to tease
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. game — a match
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — child
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. last — finally
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. club — for golf
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. last — to go on

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