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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rest — what's left
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rest — a break
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. band — a ring
  22. rest — what's left
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. cold — an illness

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