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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. key — for a lock
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. spell — magic
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rash — a series
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. key — in music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pit — a hole

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