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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mine — for digging
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. shower — rain
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rest — a break
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rule — a law
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hand — help
  22. shower — to wash
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rule — government

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