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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. game — a match
  4. rock — music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spring — the season
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spring — a coil
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. present — the time now
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mate — a partner
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. present — there
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. present — a gift
  23. spring — of water
  24. cue — for pool

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