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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cue — for pool
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. land — to come down
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. land — a country
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mark — a trace
  10. season — of the year
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cue — a hint
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mark — a grade
  16. land — ground
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. shower — to wash
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. shower — rain
  23. cue — a signal
  24. season — in sport

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