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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — a coil
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — letters
  5. current — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rock — music
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. firm — a company
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. current — electric
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spring — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. rock — a stone
  24. spell — magic

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