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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lean — thin
  5. band — a music group
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mine — for digging
  8. band — a ring
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. game — wild animals
  12. land — ground
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bear — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. land — a country
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — a line
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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