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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spell — a short time
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. staff — a stick
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chip — to eat
  8. staff — employees
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spell — letters
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. spell — magic
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chip — for betting
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rash — a series
  23. chest — a box
  24. temple — side of the head

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