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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — of the year
  5. current — happening now
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. spring — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. current — electric
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — of water
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — a coil
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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