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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. deal — to handle
  6. net — for catching
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. spring — the season
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — of water
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. net — in sport
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. spring — a coil
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. net — after costs
  22. dip — to sink
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chair — a professorship

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