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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fall — to drop
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wake — a trail
  12. shower — rain
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fall — to drop
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kick — in football
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kick — a thrill

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