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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mug — a cup
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chip — for betting
  9. charge — a price
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spell — letters
  13. spring — of water
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. net — for catching
  21. spring — the season
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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