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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. snap — to click
  3. land — a country
  4. key — in music
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stem — to come from
  13. court — of law
  14. lean — to bend
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. toast — bread
  17. land — to come down
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. court — for sport
  20. key — the most important part
  21. court — of a king
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. key — for a lock
  24. lean — thin

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