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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — a country
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tear — from crying
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. tear — from crying
  12. dip — to sink
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. date — the fruit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. temple — a place of worship

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