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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. net — for catching
  3. land — to come down
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. shower — rain
  13. land — ground
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. net — in sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — a country
  20. net — after costs
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. deal — to handle
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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