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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — in football
  6. staff — employees
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. drill — a practice
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — a partner
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. drill — army training
  24. staff — employees

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