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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bank — for money
  10. spell — magic
  11. chest — of your body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — letters
  18. pit — in a race
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chest — a box
  21. pit — a hole
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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