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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fall — the season
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. can — a tin
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fall — to drop
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chest — a box
  18. fine — all right
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. drill — a practice
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. drill — army training
  24. chest — of your body

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