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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. spring — the season
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lean — thin
  8. capital — a city
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wake — a trail
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spring — of water
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spring — a coil
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. capital — money
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lean — to bend

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