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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 I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mate — a partner
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mate — to breed
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ball — a great time
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. coach — a trainer

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