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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. last — finally
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spring — the season
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rash — a series
  19. mine — for digging
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rash — hasty

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