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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. staff — employees
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spring — a coil
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — the season
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. spring — of water
  16. wound — an injury
  17. last — final
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. last — to go on
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. plane — a tool
  22. staff — a stick
  23. last — finally
  24. wound — an injury

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