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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. ball — a dance
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. file — a line of people
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. season — in sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rash — hasty
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. season — of the year
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rash — a series
  21. ball — a great time
  22. file — a document
  23. spring — the season
  24. deal — to handle

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