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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — a country
  5. date — the fruit
  6. land — to come down
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. degree — an amount
  9. craft — a skill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. degree — temperature
  13. spring — the season
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spring — a coil
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. craft — boats
  24. ruler — for measuring

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