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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. drill — a practice
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. roll — a list
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fine — high quality
  12. staff — employees
  13. roll — a cake
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — all right
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. staff — employees
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tear — to rip
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. staff — a stick

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