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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bound — tied together
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. land — ground
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spring — of water
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. land — a country
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bound — obliged

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