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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 was this ________________ built?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. firm — decided
  3. mate — a partner
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. land — ground
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. scale — in music
  14. firm — steady
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. firm — a company
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. land — a country
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. land — to come down
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mine — for digging

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