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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 are we going to ________________?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rest — a break
  3. land — ground
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. roll — a list
  8. board — a committee
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. squash — the sport
  11. roll — a cake
  12. date — the fruit
  13. board — to get on
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. land — a country
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rest — what's left
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rest — what's left
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. squash — to crush
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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