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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. last — final
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fork — in a road
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. last — to go on
  7. game — a match
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mate — to breed
  12. game — wild animals
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. spell — magic
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. key — in music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — letters
  23. last — finally
  24. spell — a short time

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