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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mate — a partner
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stock — goods
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stock — shares
  13. spring — a coil
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cue — a hint
  16. spring — the season
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. spring — of water
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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