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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. march — music
  7. kick — in football
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spring — the season
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. suit — clothes
  12. track — to keep track
  13. march — the month
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — of water
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kid — child
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. game — a match
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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