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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a music group
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hand — help
  8. key — in music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. hand — in cards
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. band — a ring
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. key — the most important part
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. key — for a lock

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