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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. shower — rain
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cold — an illness
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. roll — a list
  11. date — the fruit
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. craft — boats
  15. fine — high quality
  16. roll — a cake
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cold — not warm
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. craft — a skill
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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