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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pit — in a race
  4. land — a country
  5. rock — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rock — a stone
  9. land — ground
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. branch — a division

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