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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. squash — to crush
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mine — for digging
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. tube — the underground
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fine — all right
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. tube — a container
  24. fine — a penalty

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