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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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Word bank
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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cold — an illness
  4. charge — a price
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — not warm
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. charge — in control
  17. clip — for paper
  18. tear — from crying
  19. toast — bread
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. bat — the animal
  23. charge — electricity
  24. safe — out of danger

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