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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. degree — temperature
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rash — hasty
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rash — a series
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. fork — in a road
  23. land — ground
  24. temple — side of the head

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