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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. staff — employees
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bore — to tire
  8. date — the fruit
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lean — thin
  12. spell — letters
  13. lean — to bend
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bore — to drill
  19. staff — a stick
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spell — magic
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. spell — a short time

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