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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mark — a grade
  7. court — for sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bore — to drill
  11. ground — a position
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mark — a trace
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — of a king
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spring — of water
  20. ground — crushed
  21. court — of law
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wake — a trail
  24. temple — a place of worship

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