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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mate — a partner
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fine — high quality
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mate — to breed
  15. sharp — clever
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fine — all right
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mark — a grade

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