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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. track — a path
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mug — a face
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. track — a song
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — for digging
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mug — a cup
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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