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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. squash — to crush
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. key — in music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. key — the most important part
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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