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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fork — in a road
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spring — the season
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. file — a line of people
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a document
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. file — a tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. date — the fruit
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fork — to eat with

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