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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. staff — employees
  6. prune — to trim
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. last — to go on
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. staff — a stick
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. staff — employees
  19. date — the fruit
  20. last — final
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — finally
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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