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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. craft — a skill
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. craft — boats
  9. rash — a series
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fine — all right
  19. mine — for digging
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bass — low music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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