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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 124 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. chest — of your body
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. land — to come down
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. march — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chest — of your body
  17. march — the month
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. date — the fruit
  23. chest — a box
  24. march — the month

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