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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — moving air
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. firm — a company
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. spell — letters
  9. firm — steady
  10. spell — magic
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. staff — employees
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. firm — decided
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. staff — employees
  22. spell — a short time
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. staff — a stick

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