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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 ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. net — in sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. staff — employees
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mine — for digging
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. net — for catching
  17. suit — to fit
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. net — after costs
  20. sharp — clever
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. plane — a tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. plane — in geometry

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