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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cue — a hint
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mate — a friend
  5. ground — crushed
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cue — a signal
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mate — a partner
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ground — the earth
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. snap — to click
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mate — to breed

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