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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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. swing — in golf
  4. scale — in music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stem — to come from
  7. swing — music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fall — the season
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. key — for a lock
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. key — the most important part
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. scale — size or range
  24. key — in music

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