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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rock — music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rest — what's left
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. spring — of water
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. snap — to click
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rest — a break
  24. mine — an explosive

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