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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chest — of your body
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ground — crushed
  6. club — for dancing
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — the most important part
  11. club — a group
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — of water
  14. branch — a division
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — the season
  19. chest — a box
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. ground — the earth

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