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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — for digging
  6. root — of a word
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. last — to go on
  10. net — in sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. root — of a plant
  14. net — after costs
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. root — the cause
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. net — for catching
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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