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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — employees
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. last — final
  12. deal — to handle
  13. last — to go on
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. staff — a stick
  16. last — finally
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. swing — in golf
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. prune — the fruit

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