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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — clever
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cap — of ice
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. date — the fruit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cap — a hat
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bank — for money
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. squash — to crush
  21. spring — the season
  22. cap — a lid
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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