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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.

Make a worksheet

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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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: temple · toast · fan · land · pitch · wind · safe · drill

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. drill — the tool
  9. land — a country
  10. drill — army training
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. drill — a practice
  14. land — to come down
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — ground
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wind — moving air
  21. toast — bread
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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