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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 124 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. spring — of water
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mine — for digging
  6. spring — the season
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mark — a grade
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — a coil
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cold — an illness
  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