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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. track — a path
  3. saw — the tool
  4. track — to keep track
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cue — a signal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cue — a hint
  13. track — a song
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bass — low music
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bass — the instrument

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