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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — happy
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. tube — the underground
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. content — the amount
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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