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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spell — a short time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spell — letters
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — goods
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mine — for digging
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rest — a break
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stock — shares
  24. spell — magic

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