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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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Word bank
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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cell — in biology
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a line of people
  6. club — a group
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mate — to breed
  10. degree — from a university
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. land — ground
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a tool
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mate — a partner
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. club — for golf
  22. file — a document
  23. cell — a phone
  24. land — a country

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