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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — of water
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. present — there
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stock — shares
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stock — goods
  18. ball — a dance
  19. present — the time now
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. present — a gift
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spring — the season
  24. wave — with your hand

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