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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. toast — bread
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a line of people
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rest — a break
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mine — for digging
  13. staff — employees
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a document
  16. fine — all right
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rest — what's left
  20. staff — employees
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. file — a 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