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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ground — a position
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. march — the month
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ground — the earth
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. shower — rain
  12. sharp — clever
  13. key — in music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. march — music
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. march — the month
  18. key — for a lock
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. ground — crushed
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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