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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: mate · spring · jam · pitcher · fork · temple · present · sharp

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. present — the time now
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mate — to breed
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. spring — a coil
  22. present — a gift
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fork — in a road

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