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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mate — to breed
  4. spell — magic
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mine — for digging
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mate — a partner
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. fine — all right
  17. bank — for money
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — letters
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fine — high quality

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