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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. kick — in football
  7. club — for golf
  8. rest — a break
  9. rule — government
  10. bound — certain
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. club — a group
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rule — a law
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bound — tied together
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bound — obliged
  24. temple — side of the head

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