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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. clip — a video
  3. dip — to sink
  4. roll — a cake
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cap — of ice
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. roll — a list
  10. deal — to handle
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — a lid
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. clip — for paper
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. clip — to cut
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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