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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. land — a country
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mine — for digging
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. branch — a division

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