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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — a coil
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spring — of water
  7. rash — a series
  8. board — a committee
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stock — shares
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spring — the season
  17. board — to get on
  18. stock — goods
  19. rest — a break
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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