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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cap — a lid
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cap — of ice
  9. date — the fruit
  10. press — to push
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mug — a cup
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. press — newspapers
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mug — a face
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. press — a publisher
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rule — a law

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