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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mark — a grade
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rule — government
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. sharp — clever
  18. dip — to sink

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