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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — the earth
  8. season — in sport
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. lie — to recline
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ground — a position
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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