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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bass — the fish
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. land — a country
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. roll — a list
  12. date — the fruit
  13. land — to come down
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — ground
  20. roll — a cake
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — low music
  24. hand — in cards

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