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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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468
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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. toast — bread
  7. rest — a break
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rest — what's left
  12. saw — the tool
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. staff — a stick
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rest — what's left
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. spell — a short time
  24. temple — a place of worship

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