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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. suit — clothes
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. suit — in cards
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. suit — to fit
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. foot — a measure
  20. shower — to wash
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rush — hurry
  24. patient — a sick person

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