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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. key — for a lock
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. spell — magic
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. key — the most important part
  17. squash — to crush
  18. key — in music

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