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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 trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. land — ground
  4. shower — to wash
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — a country
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fine — all right
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. land — to come down
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. shower — rain
  22. hand — help
  23. tube — a container
  24. saw — the tool

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