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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. spring — the season
  4. current — electric
  5. court — of law
  6. mate — a partner
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. mate — a friend
  11. spring — of water
  12. land — to come down
  13. current — happening now
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. spring — a coil
  17. track — a song
  18. mate — to breed
  19. track — a path
  20. current — of water
  21. land — ground
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. track — to keep track

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