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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cue — a hint
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — a signal
  9. staff — employees
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. temple — side of the head

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