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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
468
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: spring · cold · date · rock · content · saw · game · temple

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. spring — the season
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — a match
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rock — a stone
  16. content — the amount
  17. cold — not warm
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rock — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. content — happy
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spring — a coil

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