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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fine — all right
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rash — a series
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rash — hasty
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. last — final
  21. kid — child
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. net — for catching
  24. kid — to tease

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