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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. board — to get on
  4. object — to protest
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — hasty
  8. board — a committee
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. spring — of water
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. object — a thing
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rash — a series
  18. band — a music group
  19. object — an aim
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. squash — to crush
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. band — a ring
  24. squash — the 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