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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — after costs
  4. pop — music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wake — a trail
  12. vault — a safe
  13. net — in sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pop — to visit
  16. net — for catching
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. date — the fruit
  20. pop — soda
  21. stem — to come from
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. temple — a place of worship

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