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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. season — in sport
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. season — of the year
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. spring — the season
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spring — of water
  23. mark — a grade
  24. season — to add flavour

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