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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fine — all right
  3. land — to come down
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. land — ground
  6. fine — high quality
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wind — moving air
  9. land — a country
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. craft — boats
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. nail — on a finger

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