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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 was this ________________ built?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — to tire
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hand — in cards
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. plane — a tool
  11. hand — help
  12. bore — to drill
  13. net — in sport
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. net — for catching
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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