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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bear — the animal
  14. charge — in control
  15. suit — clothes
  16. charge — a price
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. game — a match
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chip — to eat
  23. game — wild animals
  24. suit — to fit

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