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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mate — a friend
  12. sharp — clever
  13. charge — in control
  14. bat — the animal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. charge — a price
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. charge — electricity
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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