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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. roll — a list
  10. game — a match
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wake — a trail
  20. toast — bread
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mine — for digging

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