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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. charge — a price
  3. march — the month
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. charge — in control
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. march — the month
  13. mine — for digging
  14. charge — electricity
  15. present — the time now
  16. march — music
  17. present — a gift
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. present — there
  23. court — for sport
  24. sharp — exactly

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