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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. drill — a practice
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. can — a tin
  9. rush — hurry
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. band — a ring
  13. drill — army training
  14. land — ground
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. toast — bread
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. can — to be able to
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rush — to hurry

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