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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mine — for digging
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. staff — employees
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bass — low music
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bass — the fish
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rule — government
  20. staff — employees
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rule — a law
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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