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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cue — for pool
  3. court — for sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cue — a signal
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cue — a hint
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. face — to confront
  13. court — of law
  14. date — the fruit
  15. ground — a position
  16. squash — the sport
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ground — the earth
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. face — to point toward
  22. court — of a king
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. squash — to crush

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