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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cold — an illness
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — to eat
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. stand — to bear
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. last — to go on
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cold — not warm
  23. land — ground
  24. stand — for spectators

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