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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — a partner
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stand — to bear
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mate — a friend

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