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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spring — of water
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. spring — the season
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mate — a friend
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bat — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. spring — a coil
  24. safe — out of danger

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