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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. deal — to handle
  5. last — finally
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — help
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — to go on
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — final
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. saw — the tool
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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