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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — ground
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cap — of ice
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. season — in sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. land — a country
  10. bank — for money
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. firm — a company
  14. season — of the year
  15. bank — of a river
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. land — to come down
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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