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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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. leaves — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. last — to go on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — finally
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. last — final
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. temple — a place of worship

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