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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. spring — a coil
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. roll — a cake
  6. squash — the sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. game — wild animals
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. game — a match
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mug — a cup
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. squash — to crush
  17. toast — bread
  18. mug — a face
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. roll — a list
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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