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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. land — a country
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. object — a thing
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. object — to protest
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. foot — a measure
  14. object — an aim
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. season — in sport
  17. land — ground
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. staff — employees
  22. season — of the year
  23. tear — to rip
  24. land — to come down

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