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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cold — not warm
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mug — to rob
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. chest — a box
  14. mug — a face
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — an illness
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pass — a permit
  24. fan — a supporter

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