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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. snap — to click
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. toast — bread
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. swing — music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. swing — to play on
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pound — a weight
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lie — to recline
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. temple — a place of worship

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