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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 120 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 was this ________________ built?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — a coil
  3. club — a group
  4. pass — a permit
  5. club — for golf
  6. mine — for digging
  7. land — ground
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bat — the animal
  10. land — a country
  11. can — a tin
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. land — to come down
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. club — for dancing
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bat — in an idiom

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