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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — to rip
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. season — in sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rush — hurry
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. season — of the year
  21. tear — from crying
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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