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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. snap — to click
  5. board — to get on
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. content — the amount
  8. board — a committee
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — final
  12. content — happy
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — finally
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. last — to go on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — videos and posts

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