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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — of water
  3. drill — the tool
  4. last — final
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — finally
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. current — electric
  10. drill — army training
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bass — low music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. last — to go on
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. current — of water
  22. bass — the fish
  23. current — happening now
  24. bass — the instrument

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