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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. craft — a skill
  3. ball — a great time
  4. craft — boats
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. content — happy
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. ball — a dance
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. content — the amount

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