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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. drill — army training
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mate — a partner
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wax — to grow
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kid — to tease
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mate — a friend
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mate — to breed
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. temple — a place of worship

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