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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. sharp — clever
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chest — a box
  6. ball — a dance
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mark — a grade
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spring — of water
  12. ball — a great time
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mark — a trace
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. spring — the season
  19. roll — a list
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chest — of your body
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. ball — a round shape

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