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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.

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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — a practice
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — for dancing
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. drill — army training
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. saw — the tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. drill — the tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting

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