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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · mate · fall · rush · sharp · pop · mine · temple

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pop — soda
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rush — hurry
  14. fall — the season
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mate — a friend
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mate — to breed

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