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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. last — finally
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. key — for a lock
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cue — for pool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mug — a cup
  18. last — to go on
  19. mug — a face
  20. mine — for digging
  21. last — final
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. branch — a division

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