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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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. rule — to rule out
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — a permit
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — a list
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. foot — a measure
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fall — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fall — to drop

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