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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spring — the season
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. spring — of water
  8. plane — a tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mark — a trace
  12. track — to keep track
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mark — a grade
  17. firm — a company
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. track — a path
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. track — a song
  24. firm — decided

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