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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — of water
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. band — a ring
  10. spring — a coil
  11. row — a line
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. band — a music group
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mark — a grade
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. spring — the season

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