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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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468
Word bank
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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. row — a line
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. spring — of water
  9. row — to paddle
  10. spring — a coil
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. spring — the season
  17. deal — to handle
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pass — a permit
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pass — to spend time

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