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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — the season
  3. bore — to tire
  4. charge — a price
  5. chest — a box
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — for digging
  17. charge — in control
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spring — of water
  23. mug — a face
  24. temple — side of the head

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