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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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 — of water
  3. court — for sport
  4. spring — a coil
  5. court — of law
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rule — a law
  11. spring — the season
  12. cue — for pool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mate — to breed
  15. court — of a king
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mine — for digging
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rule — government
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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