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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spring — the season
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. craft — a skill
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. drill — army training
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spring — a coil
  14. drill — the tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — of water
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. sharp — clever
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. craft — boats
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bat — the animal

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