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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — finally
  4. board — to get on
  5. lean — to bend
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fine — all right
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bore — to tire
  12. last — final
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — moving air
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. lean — thin
  23. board — a committee
  24. last — to go on

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