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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. track — a path
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. season — in sport
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. deal — to handle
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pit — in a race
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — to paddle

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