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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · fine · club · safe · season · mine · temple · chip

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. club — for golf
  3. season — in sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fine — high quality
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. club — a group
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. chip — to eat
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fine — all right
  24. season — of the year

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