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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. deal — to handle
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. clip — for paper
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rash — hasty
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. clip — to cut
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fork — in a road
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. clip — a video
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. rash — a series
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fine — all right
  24. rash — on the skin

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