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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rash — hasty
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. squash — the sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bulb — for light
  11. squash — to crush
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rash — a series
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. date — the fruit

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