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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — to wash
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. staff — a stick
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. row — a line
  11. staff — employees
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — in a road
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. key — the most important part
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. key — in music
  22. field — farmland
  23. shower — rain
  24. key — for a lock

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