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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. spell — magic
  4. staff — a stick
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. net — in sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. staff — employees
  11. court — of a king
  12. land — a country
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. net — for catching
  15. dip — to sink
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — letters
  18. court — of law
  19. spell — a short time
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. net — after costs
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. land — ground

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