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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mug — a cup
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. last — finally
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. capital — a city
  12. mug — a face
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. club — a group
  16. capital — money
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. last — final
  20. mug — to rob
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. last — to go on
  23. pound — a weight
  24. plane — an aircraft

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