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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kid — to tease
  4. land — a country
  5. spring — the season
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. spring — of water
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. land — to come down
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kid — child
  20. land — ground
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. roll — a list

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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