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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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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. land — a country
  5. key — for a lock
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — the amount
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. key — in music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. key — the most important part
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fork — in a road
  24. content — happy

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