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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. craft — boats
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. craft — a skill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. tear — to rip
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. tear — from crying
  24. temple — a place of worship

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