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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. current — of water
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. spring — the season
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. current — happening now
  12. club — for dancing
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. current — electric
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — of water
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. temple — a place of worship

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