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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. key — for a lock
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — the season
  8. fine — all right
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. spring — of water
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. date — the fruit
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fine — high quality
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spring — a coil

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