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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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 — a strongbox
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bore — to drill
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mate — a partner
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stand — to bear
  18. dip — to sink
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mate — a friend
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. club — a group
  24. dip — to dunk

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