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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. land — a country
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — a coil
  7. land — ground
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. spring — of water
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. chest — a box
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. kick — in football
  22. spring — the season
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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