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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: fine · pit · clip · staff · hand · bulb · temple · deal

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fine — high quality
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bulb — for light
  13. clip — a video
  14. pit — in a race
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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